1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to shopping carts and in particular to attachments therefor. In yet a more particular sense, the invention comprises devices that are attachable to conventional shopping carts without requirement of making any changes in the shopping carts, thus permitting the attachment to be secured to a shopping cart that is already in use. The attachment falls in the category of those that are movable in respect to the shopping cart, between retracted, non-use positions, and use positions in which the attachments project outwardly from the shopping cart, to present an elevated platform on which one may stand to reach articles on higher shelves of the supermarket or other establishment in which the shopping cart is being used.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, it has been proposed to provide attachments to wheeled carts or similar vehicles. Such attachments have been provided for various purposes, and in some instances, attachments have been provided for the purpose of affording a platform on which one may stand to reach areas that are too high for a person of average height standing on the floor. In the prior art devices, however, there has been no suggestion for an attachment which can be made separately and distinctly from a grocery shopping cart of modern day design, with the attachment being so designed to be swiftly and easily attachable to or detachable from a shopping cart, without requirement of the expenditure of an excessive amount of time or labor.
Further, in the prior art, it has not been previously suggested, so far as is known, that the shopping cart attachment be so designed as to not interfere in any way with the adaptability of the shopping cart to be nested with other shopping carts when not in use. This is a very important requirement so far as grocery shopping carts are concerned, since any attachment that would interfere with the nesting procedure would be incapable of commercial use to any degree. Shopping carts must be stored in relatively small areas when not in use, and to this end are especially designed to nest almost completely, to occupy a minimum amount of space when a complete, extended line of similar carts are awaiting use in a store area adjacent to the entrance.
The present invention has been particularly designed to obviate the difficulties noted with respect to the prior art devices. To this end, the invention has an adaptability for folding to a position in which it will not interfere with nesting of the carts in any way, while at the same time the invention is adapted to be swiftly and easily connected to or detached from shopping carts of conventional manufacture that are already in use, thus permitting the device to be purchased as a separate item from the company operating the supermarket, and attached to shopping carts that have already been placed in use in the supermarket.
At the same time, the invention has as an important object the provision of a step attachment of the type described previously herein, which is swiftly operable to a use position, in which it will project outwardly from the shopping cart so as to be usable by anyone desiring to reach an article shelf.